Peritoneal access: the past, present, and the future

In the early years of peritoneal dialysis, there was no specific device for peritoneal dialysis; rather the devices used in general surgery and urology were taken advantage of for peritoneal access. These early devices, used for short-term peritoneal dialysis, were plagued with multiple complications, such as pressure on intestines of rigid tubes, plugging of openings, leakage of fluid around the access, and difficulties in fixation of the tube on the abdominal wall. In the late 1940s, after World War II, multiple peritoneal dialysis solution compositions and multiple peritoneal accesses were tried, and first accesses specifically for peritoneal dialysis were designed. In the 1950s and particularly 1960s new access features solved most of the problems and eliminated most complications of peritoneal dialysis performed in the supine position. The invention of silicone rubber catheter with polyester cuff(s) was a greatest breakthrough in peritoneal dialysis access development. Unfortunately, none of the currently used catheters is trouble free; poor dialysate drainage, pericatheter leaks, exit site and tunnel infections, and recurrent peritonitis episodes are frequently encountered. Therefore, there is an incessant search for new technological solutions, including new shapes of intraperitoneal and intramural catheter segments, and new catheter materials are tried.